This is Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple, “Suppose there are strangers (gentiles) who don’t belong to your people Israel. And they have come from a land far away. They’ve come because they’ve HEARD ABOUT YOUR NAME. When they get here, they will find out even more about YOUR GREAT NAME. They’ll hear about how you reached out your mighty hand and powerful arm. So they’ll COME AND PRAY toward this temple. “Then LISTEN TO THEM from heaven. It’s the place where you live. Do what those strangers ask you to do. Then ALL of the nations on earth WILL KNOW YOU. They will HAVE RESPECT for you. They’ll respect you just as your own people Israel do. They’ll know that your Name is in this house I’ve built.” (1 Kings 8:41-43)
This is what we must understand, it is ALL ABOUT ISRAEL!!! GOD HAS HONORED HIS EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM. David conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital city. He received the promise of a coming ‘Messiah’ and from that time Jews have awaited the Messiah’s coming. Many prophets warned the Israelites that the Curses of Moses (“Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.” (Deut. 27:15)) would come on them if they did not change. But these warnings were ignored.
Moses said, “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young.” (Deut. 28:49-50) Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful Babylonian King came and took the people into captivity. This was because they WORSHIPED FALSE god’s, then he destroyed Israel and the Temple. 70 Years later under King Cyrus Israel was returned to their land and Cyrus paid for the new temple and the fortified wall around the city. Then in 70AD General Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, killed over one million Jews and dispersed the rest of the Jews all over the world, all because of Israel’s rebellion against God.
God caused president Truman to approve Israel as a nation on May 14th 1948 for the second time, the Hebrew language was lost but now is the official language. There are continually flowing springs in northern Israel that supply, in the desert, great water flow (they even export water) and billions of gallons of natural gas to supply that whole area and here we are 74 years later waiting on the promise of Jesus, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till ALL THESE THINGS take place.” (Matt. 24:34)
Your personal Pastor -Bill Stockham